The Number Six — just five normal guys

August 29, 2012

Graffiti: So, to someone who might not be familiar with The Number Six, describe for readers, in your own words, the type of music you guys play.

TN6: Well... it's metal. It's heavy, it's melodic. So many different categories and sub-categories out there now, it's impossible to keep track. We are just us. We feel like we are fairly original for our area and even style.... not many bands have the heavy that we do mixed with the melody and catchy parts. Our music pretty much has it all. More flies with honey so to speak, but it's never really planned. Just how it comes out.

Graffiti: To look at you guys, you come across as kinda scary. I bet you're all big pussy cats though, right? What types of things are you all interested in in your daily lives? How do your daily lives influence your music?

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TN6: Haha. Scary? Us? Maybe Dustin. We have families and 'normal' lives. Some of us have kids.. All have day jobs. We work pretty hard to balance everything to achieve our dreams. Everything lays into our songs - be it lyrics, energy, or what we put out on stage when we play 'em. I mean, life is rough and at times too much, so this is a nice outlet to let that out. Our music influences our music, meaning that we write music that we would like to listen to. I think all of our daily and life experiences play into the original sound we have.

Graffiti: Which comes first, the music or the lyrics? Who is the primary song writer?

TN6: Honestly, there is no set pattern. Chris may come with a subject to write about, other times Dustin or Jon will toss out a guitar riff they were working on. No matter who starts the process, it's always a group effort to reach the final cut.

Fact Box

The Number Six is:

Chris Young-Vocals, Dustin Stone-Guitar and vocals, Jon Parsons-Guitar and vocals, Billy Hoffman-Bass and Preston Samson-Drums - All are from the Charleston area.

Graffiti: A lot of people, those who don't know any better, associate West Virginia with, well, all kinds of negative things. How do you feel about representing West Virginia when you're in other parts of the country?

TN6: Well ... surprise, surprise ... we ain't country (laughs). No matter where we are, we always try to be good ambassadors for Dub V. And ya know - no one seems surprised to hear we are from WV, other than our lack of accent at times. I think the talent pool is deep here and it seems to be pretty well known around the country. The 'negative' mindset about our fair state doesn't seem to reach into the musical talent aspect. But, having said that, all the talent in the world doesn't matter if (the) scene doesn't support (the) artists. And that's a problem here that's starting to get known. Charleston has to fix this or we are gonna have a reputation for a dead (metal) scene and we'll never get cool shows here. We get a lot of support when out of town, more than what we get here at home a lot of the time. It's a serious bummer 'cause you wanna feel supported by your hometown. We know the fans are here. We've just gotta pull together on the musician level and support each other - come to shows when you're not playing. Show support so that the fans will follow suit. It's gotta start somewhere.

Graffiti: Tell us about the deal with Jagermeister. What does the partnership mean for the band?

Answer: The biggest thing would have to be the backing. The notoriety of having the Jagermeister brand attached to The Number Six has opened so many doors almost instantly. Bump ups on shows to a better spot, lots of show offers that we may not have gotten before and, of course, the spot we gained on the Jagermeister Syko Maffia Tour that just came through Charleston a couple weeks ago.

Graffiti: The Number Six has seemed to embrace social media outlets as a way to get the word out about the band. How has this worked for you guys?

Answer: Well, reaching those who may not know about us until seeing us would be the best advantage. We want people to know the name even if you haven't seen us live yet. We want anticipation built for when TN6 does hit your town ... and this has really seemed to work for us. Like we mentioned, crowds seem to show up out of town who have been waiting to see us. It's pretty damn exciting to have people travel from two states away to see you. We know this because they make it a point to tell us (laughs) and we love it and them. You spend a little more time with those fans. You want them to feel appreciated... because they are - deeply.

Graffiti: Care to let readers know what's coming up next for the band?

Answer: Next up is recording. We start tracking for our new album titled Invidia at Keyser Studios here in town. This is our 'make or break' moment I guess you could say. We need a recorded product to match what we put out on stage.. and better. We have recently signed with a national booking agent, The Lucky 13 Agency who will begin booking for us in 2013 to support the release of the new album after we finish our dates on our present Jager tour. Until then, we will be continuing with our spot on the Jager tour for the rest of this year, which will be returning to Charleston November 3 at the Blue Parrot. Come support your hometown boys on this national tour. Hope to see everyone there \m/ 6 \m/.